Grim Troubles
by RainDragon28
Summary: "Hiccup, it's been months since the Viggo-" "-Fiasco?" Hiccup is still trying to find Viggo after all these months, and Astrid always seems to be behind him, watching him constantly. At one point, Hiccup wants to forget his troubles. But as he lands on an island already occupied by the enemy, he isn't aware of the danger he just put himself and a certain someone in.
1. Chapter 1

Outcast Island had changed quite a bit ever since Berk's peace treaty with the Outcasts. Wild dragons still lived on the far side of the land, avoiding crossing path with the Viking habitants of their territory. Berk might be at peace with dragons, but Outcasts weren't quite yet. Still, they didn't hunt for them, only chassed them if they ever got too close to the village. So killing over here was still up.

One thing had changed around here. Outcasts Island didn't only accept outcasts anymore, but also any tribe that should want a drink. Yep, Alvin the Treacherous and his men had raised a bar for other tribes around. It was surprisingly popular, and mess was there all the time. Nothing was quite in order around here, and nobody really minded... It's just, the way it is..! Oh, one other thing - Dragon Hunters were also part of the visiting tribes. Actually, most of Viggo's soldiers appeared here often.

The only one rule the chief of the island had put up, was no fighting in his caves. At least, no violent fights near death... Of course, people drank and things sometimes turned out wrong, but those were bearable.

...

Things had been pretty stormy for Hiccup ever since his defeat against Viggo Grimborn. Some part of him had changed and he didn't know why, but he often felt angered by anything. His mind was a thick cloud – nothing seemed clear anymore. The only thing he had thought about for the past months was Viggo. Viggo, the Dragon Eye, the defeat... It's like it wouldn't leave him. He thought going out there and find the man would help him get it of his chest, but Astrid always seemed to be there, watching him – making sure he didn't run away after Viggo. Doing that, it was a suicide mission, but obviously Hiccup didn't know that.

''What are you up to?'' asked Astrid as she entered the stables where she found Hiccup saddling up Toothless. He had to be kidding if he was trying again.

Hiccup looked up at her in confusion, rolling his eyes as he saw her hands-on-hips posture. ''I'm patrolling tonight, Astrid.'' he said, returning his focus on setting the gears at Toothless' tail ready.

''Oh, right.'' she said, watching him as he did his stuff. ''So you're not running away?''

Hiccup sighed heavily. Alright, so he _did_ try to go after Viggo once or twice... So what? And by once or twice he meant maybe a couple of hundred times. Did this mean he would try tonight again? Maybe... ''Astrid, we've been over this. I'm over Viggo. I'll be fine.'' he tried reassuring her, without succeeding much.

''Right, right... Because last time you said that, I ended up saving your butt from that one and only ship of Hunters.'' said Astrid angrily. ''You're not over Viggo, yet, Hiccup. Going out there to find this guy who doesn't want to be found won't do you any good, and you know it. Use your brain, Hiccup.''

''Yes, I do know that.'' said Hiccup as he lifted himself up from the floor and hopped on the saddle. ''And I _am_ using my brain. And you know what, right now, it's telling me to go on patrol.'' He gently kicked the Night Fury's side and Toothless went trotting to the gates for the exit.

Astrid's gaze followed them until they both disappeared behind those two doors and vanished against the night-sky, black as a Night Fury's scale. To her, this was going down. As much as the Dragon Riders had been a smart group, fast and fearless, right now it seemed like they were the opposite of all that. Viggo made them appear below, and Hiccup didn't quite like that. And now he was changing with the obsession to find Viggo – often bursting with anger and listening to no one but his troubled mind.

Things had to change soon, or they might go down for real.

...

High above the cloud, Toothless soared through the chilling air, his wings brushing the cool wind as they circled Dragon's Edge. It had been a while since his rider hadn't thought about simply playing around, building up a new tail or whatever. Even to him, Hiccup was beginning to be unbearable. He was so _annoying_ and _stubborn_!

''Alright,'' said Hiccup as he scanned the water under his dragon's wings. ''Everything seems clear. No boats or uninvited guests, we're good.'' He pulled on the handles from his saddle to redirect Toothless towards the base, flying to the lighted section of the island, until the thought of meeting up with Astrid again suddenly occurred to him and he stopped his dragon instantly. Instead to returning home, he flew Toothless south from Dragon's Edge and towards an ally's island where he thought might be a good place for him at the moment. After all, he was eighteen now.

Toothless beat his wings towards an island he still didn't like, but to Hiccup, it was just a big piece of hardened lava with Vikings living on its surface.

The flight there didn't take so long and he finally arrived where he desired to be right now. If this was a place for madmen and people who needed a break, then he was at the right place.

Toothless landed on the rocky surface of Outcast Island, a distance away from the village just to make sure none of the unknown tribes saw them. He didn't know if the people here were blood-thirsty and wanted a dragon head on their wall back home or not. He might be mad and everything, but keeping Toothless safe hadn't changed.

A shallow cave lay not far from where they landed and Hiccup led Toothless in to keep him hidden from eyes. With his dark coloring, anyone who might suddenly pass by shouldn't spot him easily. Hiccup dismounted and patted his buddy's head to reassure him.

''I'll be okay, Toothless.'' said Hiccup, his hand resting on the dragon's scaly snout. ''I'll be back before you know it. You just have to stay put and make sure nobody sees you.''

Toothless whined worriedly at his rider, wondering why he was doing this. This was so not him. But Hiccup ignored and left the cave yawning the opposite direction from the concentration of Vikings. Hiccup walked in, ignoring the looks shot at him. He couldn't care less about them.

There were underground tunnels with caves here. And inside was a saloon – the place Hiccup thought he needed to be. Most of the people here were large and beefy, intimidating and ruthless. And then there was him – a skinny one-legged boy with no much more than sarcasm to defend himself with. He walked across the room and took a seat at the counter where he met his once feared enemy, Alvin the Treacherous. It wasn't surprising to see the boy here.

The Vikings around that had held their talking had carried on as they noticed the great leader of the Outcasts hadn't laughed seeing this kid here. They knew better than disrespect a subject Alvin himself respected.

''Aye,'' saluted Alvin to the boy. ''What may I get you?''

''Uh, give me whatever you like...'' Hiccup replied flatly, not at all well with beverage names. Anything that might do the trick to help him temporarily forget about this whole 'Viggo fiasco' would be okay with him.

Alvin nodded and poured a random liquid into a cup he then handed over to the teen. ''Here you go,'' he said. Hiccup immediately sank it and asked for another shot. ''So, mind telling me why you're out here on your own?''

''Not really...''said Hiccup, avoiding all eye contact – with everybody, actually. ''Let's just say, there are better days than others.''

''Aye.'' agreed the Outcasts' leader. ''Heard some words around that the Dragon Riders had _lost_ the battle...'' This was the main reason it hadn't surprised him to see him here on his island. Hiccup turned around for his eyes to land on Dragon Hunters at a table behind him. _Great. Just perfect..._ He knew better than to stick around here. This place was dangerous, crawling with the enemy all well armed to the teeth. It was surprising none had noticed him yet. Perhaps they were just too drunk to have recognized him, or they just didn't mind, seeing him like a worthless adversary. But then again, they would still be on him for his Night Fury.

A shot of fear suddenly went through him and he lifted himself up from seat. ''I should, probably go now...'' said Hiccup, gesturing to the corridor leading to the exit. ''It was nice seeing you though.'' Alvin waved just as Hiccup did and the boy walked towards the cave's mouth, passing fighting Outcasts and drunken Dragon Hunters.

It was incredible how blind Hiccup had been. He may not have noticed him, but the man and his brother deeper in the saloon did notice _him._ Their brown eyes followed the Dragon Riders' leader, a grim smile growing on their lips as they shared a nasty look and followed the one-legged boy.

* * *

 **I'm sorry for the 'drunk hunters' and stuff, but I had no better idea but have Hiccup go to that place. When I watched Last Auction Heroes, I saw that where Hiccup and Toothless picked up Trader Johann was actually Outcast Island. And from my dream, which this story is based off, things happened in a restaurant, so...**

 **I'll probably tell it if you guys want, but next chapter, 'cause it might give away a punch. ;) By the way, I'll probably be updating at my usual pace, but just telling you that I haven't completely planned out this story yet.**

 **(One other thing, my last story, _A Man of his Word_ , I know many of you want a sequel, but I won't be pushing it. I sometimes like to leave it that way and let your own imagination create the rest of the story. Plus, in my head, things get pretty wild after that, and I don't wanna jump in there.)**


	2. Chapter 2

Astrid may be a pain right now, trying to keep him inside all the time, but even with that, Hiccup understood she was just doing what she could to keep him safe. It wasn't that he liked it, but some part of him liked her reaction when she found out he was messing around again. _She's so beautiful when she's angry._ But the demand for a bit of freedom and privacy was still necessary. His obsession with Viggo had taken the best of him, and Hiccup would often slap himself when he realized he did something wrong, asking himself ' _What is wrong with me?'_

Hiccup walked the tunnel towards the exit, his gaze low as he was lost in his thoughts. He didn't pay much attention to his surroundings and kept asking himself questions of nonsense. Why had he come here again? The tunnel had many caves at its sides, spreading in more branches like a huge underground labyrinth. He found himself alone as the drinking Hunters, Outcasts and Berserkers noises fell behind and the light of torches from the huge underground cave entrance flashed before his eyes.

Lost with pictures in his mind, he didn't hear the footsteps following him closely from behind. The man's dark eyes studied every single movement from his enemy, and as they passed closely a cave in the large tunnel's side leading to the exit, he suddenly pushed Hiccup violently in, out of eyesight of every other living here.

''Urgh!'' gasped Hiccup as he crashed on the hard rocky surface of the cave's floor. ''Wha – what?'' But the storm of questions twirling in his head was stopped as all was answered as he turned on himself and met Viggo's form standing high before him, his dark gaze unmoving on him.

''What do you weigh, like 90 pounds?'' chuckled Viggo Grimborn, advancing towards the Dragon Rider. Hiccup stayed unmoving as the man grabbed the front of his shirt that was showed around his neck and lifted him up to his feet harshly.

''Whoa!'' bellowed Hiccup as he was lifted up. ''What the...'' He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that after looking for Viggo for months and always returning empty handed, it was here on Outcast Island that when he didn't search that he found. Well, technically, it was Viggo who found him... Viggo let him go and stood before him, his eyes burying themselves in the boy's. Hiccup trembled inside as he stood straight, every muscles tensed up. ''You...'' he said and his one and single idea coming in mind at that very moment, was run. He passed Viggo and dashed for the cave's exit, only to run in Ryker who suddenly appeared before him, blocking his way out. Hiccup backed off slowly and he felt Viggo's hand on his shoulder, making him jump in alert.

''Hello, Hiccup.'' said Viggo at last and unsheathed his sword at his back, placing the pointy end at Hiccup's chin.

''Hi.'' said Hiccup nervously, as he felt the blade stoking his skin. How hadn't he seen these two? They should have been so easy to spot. Why had he been so blind? What is wrong with him!?

''So, Hiccup.'' said Viggo calmly, pressing the blade on his chest where his heart was.

Hiccup looked down at it where it was placed, and Viggo began pushing it in, forcing him to back off until he was stuck between the man and a rocky wall. ''Oh, man...'' he whispered.

''I'm going to kill you.'' said Viggo calmly, never breaking eye-contact with his enemy. He pressed his sword back to Hiccup's neck, taking no chances. ''Oh, yes. Right here, in this _dismal_ Outcast cave. It's not very classy, but there you go. But before we get to that unpleasantness, you're going to tell me where your Night Fury is.''

Hiccup shook his head, refusing to say a word about Toothless. He wasn't going to hand his dragon over, even if it meant death.

''Oh,'' said Viggo quietly. ''Well that's a shame. I'd say you're very attached to that dragon, aren't you?'' He only received a glare from the boy, feeling his teeth gritted behind his lips.

''We're going to find that Night Fury, anyway.'' said Ryker behind his brother, arms crossed over his chest. ''Why don't you make it easier, for everyone?''

''You know it's only a matter of time before we do. And, tell me,'' continued Viggo, pausing for an instant. ''Have you ever been in love?''

Hiccup licked his lips, breaking the eye-contact with the man. If he could right now, he'd hurt Viggo for bringing up that subject. How _dare_ him talking about that. But bringing that up also suddenly weakened him, and he felt even more below than before... ''I...'' he began, giving a try at changing the subject, but Viggo was already talking above him.

''Yeah, you're in love right now.'' grinned Viggo, searching in Hiccup's emerald green eyes. ''I can see it in your eyes.'' But all Hiccup did was look down and shake his head sideways, begging for this to never have happened. _Why_ in Thor's name did he leave Dragon's Edge? ''No, no, no, no. Don't deny it. I wonder what would happen, if you _lost_ her _._ '' Hiccup so wanted to yell at him, and he was about to, but the moment he opened his mouth to let out a word of an insult, Viggo pressed the blade on his lips, whispering two harsh words. ''Shut up.'' he snapped quietly. He backed off, lowering his weapon and received a glare from Hiccup. ''Where is that Night Fury?''

Hiccup kept his glare there, and decided to lie than telling him where his buddy was. He wouldn't let them get to Toothless. No way. ''I don't know.'' he said simply, hoping it would pass but it clearly didn't as Viggo laughed.

''Oh, Hiccup. You really are a dreadful liar.'' remarked Viggo. ''Why do you have to make things so difficult?''

''That's what I used to tell him.'' suddenly growled a voice from behind Viggo. Viggo turned on his heels faster than Hiccup had seen anyone do, and tightened his grip at the handle of his sword as he sighted the chief of the Outcasts hold up in the air his brother, Ryker Grimborn, practically choking him as his hand was wrapped around the man's neck. Ryker may be a muscular and agile guy, mean and ruthless, but Alvin the Treacherous was worse. ''Want your guy back?''

Unexpectedly, Alvin threw Ryker across the cave. The Hunter crashed against the painful wall and collapsed to the ground with a groan of pain.

''Owch..'' whispered Hiccup, imagining how painful _that_ must of been.

''Hand over the boy now.'' ordered Alvin, gesturing to Hiccup still trapped between the wall and Viggo, his sword still threatening him. The Outcast leader received a glare from the Dragon Hunter leader, knowing better than fight. Hiccup could tell this hadn't been part of his plan, and it only made him smile mockingly at his failure.

Viggo pressed the blade on Hiccup's shoulder, forcing him to move and pushed him forward towards Alvin the Treacherous. He knew he'd have a better shot next time. After all, _he_ did know where the Dragon Riders were, but _they_ didn't know about him. Plus, he'd just gotten enough information to know where to strike next.

The chief of the Outcasts gave the two men who had dared hurting his ally a nasty look, brows furrowed, his eyes barely visible. His lower jaw teeth showed the hate towards the two brothers and he gave them one last look before turning around and leading Hiccup to safety.

''You know this isn't the right place for you.'' said Alvin as he leaned closer to the Dragon Rider's ear for no one to hear them. ''This place is dangerous for someone like you. You should head home. I hear many would like to lay hands on you for your abilities and reputation.''

''Thanks for your concern, Al,'' said Hiccup as he stopped on the spot. ''But I can handle myself perfectly.''

''So I've seen.'' said the man, remembering the previous events.

''I should really go now. It's getting late.'' said Hiccup, showing no care for absolutely nothing. He wanted to tell Alvin that he shouldn't have come and done that, because now, the Grimborn brothers would know when to strike, and Viggo would take no more chances like this. But he didn't, and thanked him instead before he rushed outside the underground tunnels and headed to where Toothless had stayed put.

To be honest, he had been so afraid, so scared that Viggo might have really killed him... but he couldn't have let out a word of Toothless' location or even about him. Thinking about it, revisiting the images in his head and the Hunters' intentions, it was only now that he truly shivered like never before. Out there, he had kept it inside, showing nothing else but hate.

He just hoped nothing like this would ever happen to him again.


	3. Chapter 3

Hiccup rode Toothless back to the Edge, lasting no more time out. He didn't quite remember last time he had ever wanted to go home and stop looking for Viggo. Now that he'd found him, he just never wanted to fly into the open again. Toothless was in great danger, that's what he'd learned. And, he may not realize it quite yet, but so was a certain someone he cared about and not just a little.

The moon had gotten higher in the night-sky by the time they came back, meaning they had been out longer than he'd imagined. Toothless landed on the landing platform of the stables. Something Hiccup was sure not to talk about was his location during his time out. He'd seen Astrid angry, and he'd be pretty sure not have seen the worst yet.

They both entered the building, not-so-surprisingly finding Astrid and Stormfly inside. The young girl sat against her dragon's side as the Nadder lied down. She sharpened her axe, a rock sliding on the blade slowly. She didn't lift her gaze yet, only staring down at her weapon, waiting for an explanation from Hiccup for his long absence.

Hiccup looked at her across the room, shooting a look back at Toothless, wondering if they should turn tails and run instead of dealing with this whole thing.

''You don't wanna talk to her, do you, bud?'' asked Hiccup to his dragon nervously, but all Toothless did was give him an unamused look. Now he knew his dragon wasn't on his side... The Night Fury passed him carelessly, hitting his rider behind the head with his tail in his way. ''Yeah... Thanks for everything.''

Hiccup looked back at Astrid, inhaled and sighed heavily. Now how was he going to explain this? Come up with a lie? That seemed like a good idea. At least, he thought so...

''Uh, hey, Astrid...'' said Hiccup, waving as he approached her. He really felt guilty about this, and Astrid could feel it. But she also could feel lies coming. ''So, I've been gone checking on the near sea stacks, made a couple loops around the island, you know... the usual?''

''Oh, really? Weird, 'cause I heard you heading south and never come back.'' she said, never rising her eyes. ''And you know how a Night Fury passing by sounds like, right?''

Hiccup opened his mouth once, twice... with no words coming out. How could he answer that? ''You really are the most dreadful liar, Hiccup.'' said Astrid as she raised her gaze and met him looking down in guilt. Yeah, she knows where he'd been. She knew everything. ''You really shouldn't have gone there. And you know it. What were you thinking?''

''I – I don't know!'' said Hiccup in defence, widening his arms. ''I just...''

''You just what?'' she asked, wondering.

''I don't know either...'' he said. Wow. Now he really was starting to sound poor.

Astrid dropped her gaze back to her axe and lifted herself off the ground, Stormfly doing the same as well. ''Well, I'm gonna get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning after patrol, we can talk about it more then.'' she said and gestured to her dragon to follow. ''Come on, Stormfly.''

Stormfly followed her and entered her pen for the night. Astrid closed the door, leaving a bucket of water for her dragon to drink and a pile of fish in another. The dragons were always hungry, no matter what time of the day or night.

''Hey, Astrid?'' called Hiccup just as she was about to disappear behind the gates. He had this question he just had to ask. ''How did you know?'' Outcast Island should have been the last place Astrid could have thought of. Now how did she guess?

She just smiled back, suddenly seeming all secretive. ''I'm a girl, Hiccup.'' she said. ''I know everything.''

Hiccup and Toothless watched her as she went. The expression on Hiccup's face was unreadable – a mix of wonder, fear and surprise. Toothless noticed him and pushed his rider in the back, growling.

''Toothless...'' said Hiccup warningly as he almost fell over. But all his dragon did was laugh, showing the amusement. ''We should get some sleep as well. I don't know how long it's gonna take before Viggo reaches us.''

He climbed on the saddle and Toothless hurried to the gates, squeezing between the two large doors of the stables and taking off to his hut. He needed to be more on alert for Viggo, and for that, he'd need some good night-sleep. Viggo was unpredictable - a shadow drifting amongst others – Hiccup really needed to watch out for him, at all time now. The man was a large threat, and if anything happened to the riders, anything at all, he'd never forgive himself. These had been his own actions, and he was responsible for putting Viggo Grimborn on their trails.

Why had he gone there again? Of all stupid ideas, this had to have been the best worst of _all._

Viggo's voice kept whispering to him as he tried to sleep, some words he wished he had never heard. He couldn't stop thinking about Viggo back on Outcast Island. He was almost certain his heart skipped a beat when he said _''I wonder what would happen, if you_ lost _her.''_

Slowly, sleep carried Hiccup away, and in a short matter of time, he was no longer conscious of the activity going on around.

...

Outside, wandering amongst the shadows walked someone with bad intensions. It hadn't been hard, really. All he had to do was follow the Dragon Rider flying straight for his island, leading him right there where he wanted to be, with no torch or any source of light to make Hiccup act up and outsmart him in the wrong direction.

The man walked calmly across the buildings, walking on the wooden platforms connecting every building together. He passed in front of the leader's hut, but that wasn't why he came here for. No, he didn't come here for the boy, or for his Night Fury. He came for his weakness. A weakness he knew he had.

The man walked into the stables, where a couple of the riders' dragons where kept for the night, without making a single noise. His shadow spread across the floor before the dragon he was here for, and pulling out a little leather bag from his back, he spread a white substance across the Deadly Nadder's food, exaggerating with the amount. The man next grabbed the bucket of water and emptied it, putting it back to its place after that.

His mission here was complete. Now all he had to do was wait where he knew that dragon might want to be in the morning... and that's when he shall strike.

The man turned and walked away, never did the Nadder wakeup.

...

The man returned with his fleet, marching onboard and sailing to their next stop. His brother nodded in welcome-back as Viggo returned from his delicate mission.

''How did it go?'' asked Ryker after he ordered the men to set sail. He walked next to his brother, holding his dragon-proof sword tightly in one hand.

''Part one of the mission is complete.'' announced Viggo Grimborn as he studied the substance he'd put in the dragon's food. ''Hiccup will come to deliver his Night Fury willingly for her. And when he does, game will be truly over. Not only will Hiccup have lost the battle, but the war as well.''

''Where do we go now?'' asked Ryker. Viggo hadn't minded telling his brother the entire plan. He was mostly secretive, and never shared his plans with others... not even with his own brother.

''What do you say have a cool drink of water?'' said Viggo, grinning as he looked at Ryker with dark eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Morning finally came on Dragon's Edge, the sunlight plunging the riders' base into warmth. The dragons in the stables snorted as they slept while Astrid passed by to her dragon's pen. Stormfly jerked her head up as she sighted her rider coming and couldn't be happier to finally be out. The young girl opened up her Nadder's door and the sky-blue dragon allowed Astrid to climb on and quicker than expected to her rider, she ran out of the building to start their usual morning patrol.

There was something off about Stormfly, realized Astrid as she hanged on to the saddle as her dragon soared above the ocean, seeming to be searching for something. They met the first island to check out on the map, and ignoring her rider's command of going easy, she plunged down as she spotted a stream crossing the island.

''Easy, girl.'' said Astrid, patting Stormfly's neck gently as she seemed very agitated. Stormfly landed heavily on the grassy ground, causing her rider to fall off suddenly as she plunged her beak into the cool fresh water she'd missed all night after eating her strange tasting feed.

Astrid groaned as she picked herself off the ground, brushing off the dirt and grass from her shirt. ''You know, you could at least sent me a warning...'' said Astrid as she walked over her thirsty dragon. Stormfly raised her head after a moment and squawked in alarm as her eyes turned wild.

''I believed I'd find you here,'' said a voice from behind her, and instinctively, Astrid grabbed her battle-ax with both hands and twisted her body, coming face to face with Viggo Grimborn, head of the Dragon Hunters. His light party stood a distance behind, still all heavily armed. For a moment, all Astrid did was narrow her eyes, waiting for any sudden movements to act, same for Stormfly behind her. ''You know, it's quite surprising how _predictable_ you Dragon Riders are. To be honest, I expected more.''

''Good for you. But what do you want Viggo?'' snapped Astrid immediately, caring very lightly about politest for her position right now.

''What I want,'' said Viggo, rising his head higher as he spoke. ''Is everything I have. You see, all I need right now, is you.'' He said, jabbing his index at her. Astrid held her ground, tightening her grip at the weapon's handle with Stormfly growling lowly as a warning for the man. ''Ryker.''

A sharp noise caught her ear, but before Astrid or Stormfly could react, both were hit by a tinny dart to the neck and in a short matter of seconds, they collapsed to the ground, seeing to more than darkness with zero consciousness of their surroundings.

...

The day was going on rapidly, and no rider had noticed Astrid's absence until night was falling.

A Night Fury soared above the base and landed on the landing platform of the stables, meeting Fishlegs standing at the edge. Hiccup dismounted and hurried for updates from his friend, the unmasked concern covering his face from every corner.

''Any signs of her yet?'' asked Hiccup once he stood by his side, overlooking the ocean.

''No. It's like she vanished...'' said Fishlegs, also worried about their missing teammate.

''This really doesn't seem like her at all...'' said Hiccup, reaching his fist up to his chin.

''Maybe she lost track of time..?'' proposed Fishlegs, which came out more like a question than else.

''No.'' said Hiccup immediately. ''Astrid knows it's too dangerous to be exploring when we haven't gotten any sign of Viggo's location.'' A shock of guiltiness shot through him as he thought about last night and his encounter with the man. He should have just told her about that... What if Viggo's words that echoed through his head last night were what was going on?

''Then what do we do?'' asked Fishlegs. ''We could head out for a search party.''

''No way. If anyone's to go out, it should be me.'' said Hiccup, almost cutting Fishlegs off before he even finished.

''So, you're saying you'd go out with no backup?'' asked Fishlegs. ''What if you run into Viggo or Ryker – or worst, both – and you end up captured before you've even found Astrid? That sounds like the worst that could happen if you ask me.''

''Well, trust me, it isn't.'' said Hiccup, hopping on Toothless' back, ready to go out to her search. ''I'll be back by morning. If, by any unfortunate case I end up as you say and don't come back, then you can head out.''

Fishlegs nodded hesitantly, and after his confirmation, Hiccup and Toothless climbed the darkening sky at Astrid's search, hoping to find her and that she's all right.

...

As the sun came out, its reflection dancing on the wide ocean's surface, the gang – well, what was left of it – joined at the Clubhouse, waiting for their leader's return, hopefully with Astrid found. All except Fishlegs, who was busy with research.

''Are we sure he said morning?'' questioned Snotlout grumpily. ''It's getting pretty late. You know, there are many kinds of 'mornings' for Hiccup.''

''We don't even know if he's found Astrid.'' said Ruffnut, leaning against the wall while her brother stood outside, looking up at the colorful sky.

''Oh, that he didn't sis.'' said Tuffnut suddenly, speaking the opposite way from the other riders.

''Oh, and how do you figure?'' demanded Snotlout, uncrossing his arms.

''Wait... Bing!'' said the male twin, pointing his index up to a dark figure flying straight for them.

They all rushed out of the building to get a look, and by that time, the Night Fury landed in the Clubhouse's entrance, dropping heavily to the ground from the long flight none stop searching for their missing Dragon Rider. Toothless walked away to his rider's hut as soon as Hiccup dismounted to give the news to the other riders.

''So, did you find her?'' asked Snotlout hurriedly, showing worry only now.

''Does it look like?'' said Hiccup, and none of them were sure if that was said kind of harshly or not.

As he was on his way to his hut to get some rest just like Toothless was, his named was called and he turned around to see Fishlegs waving from the stables, gesturing for him to come.

''You go rest, bud.'' said Hiccup to Toothless who had looked back at him, offering his help even though he was exhausted. ''I'll catch up with you.''

He made his way to the stables, finding Fishlegs investigating Stormfly's pen where she slept in last night they'd seen her.

''Fishlegs? What is it?'' asked Hiccup, walking closer to his friend who immediately backed off from the zone, allowing Hiccup to take a look. Hiccup understood he was wordless at his found. He kneeled down in front of the paddock, and ran his fingers on the wooden floor, picking up a strange substance off the ground close to Stormfly's feeding bucket. ''Is this ... salt?''

''It appears to be,'' said Fishlegs nervously, and then he gestured to the water bucket. ''And she had no water when I came here. Did Astrid make a mistake or...''

''No.'' said Hiccup. ''I was there, I saw her give Stormfly a bucket full of water. She wouldn't have done this to her.''

''Than what do you think happen? Who put that salt there?'' asked Fishlegs, touching his fingertips nervously.

''If I had to guess,'' said Hiccup, examining the salt in his hand. ''I'd say a certain someone came overnight and put that in Stormfly's feeding.''

''And, who could _that_ be?'' questioned Fishlegs.

Hiccup fixed his gaze on the empty buckets in front of him, thinking of the enemy's whole plan. First, the intruder put salt in Stormfly's feeding. So when the dragon would eat up, she'd get thirsty. _But,_ he emptied the bucket of water, leaving Stormfly with this awful thirst. And when Astrid went on patrol last morning, the only thing the dragon could think of was drink. Using the exact same pattern for patrol, she knew where the closest stream would be... and that's where the enemy would have waited.

Hiccup shut his eyes and sighed. ''Viggo...'' he breathed.

''Viggo? Why would you think that?'' asked Fishlegs, lost.

Taking in a deep breath, Hiccup rose to his feet. ''There's some stuff I have to tell you guys.'' he said.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for zero posting, but you know, it's summer, everybody needs a break sometimes from, well, everything! So yeah, I took a break from everything, but now that I got some reviews telling me to post soon, here. I have many, many ideas on new stories, but I just don't feel like working X). Call me lazy, but that's the story.**

 **Anyway, here you go, guys. Thanks for your patience! ;)**

* * *

''So let me get this straight,'' said Snotlout, after Hiccup finished his explanation about how he knew who put the salt in Stormfly's feed. They had regrouped in the Clubhouse for this meeting – and while hiccup told them his unfortunate encounter with Viggo and Ryker, none of them seemed too happy about his actions. Imagine if Astrid was here now, gods... ''A sudden bubble popped in your head just like that – you listened to this crazy, stupid nonsense and then you went to Outcast Island where you crossed path with the Grimborns – and worst of all, you told exactly no one where you'd gone!? I have to say, I am very disappointed in you Hiccup Haddock.''

''Look, I'm sorry. I should've told Astrid that night... I know it's my fault Viggo probably has his hands on her and Stormfly right now.'' said Hiccup lowly, his head low as he felt the disappointment from everyone in the room. He should know, he'd spent most of his life feeling that. But this disappointment was different. Not the kind of looking down at him and walking away with no care of where and how he'd end up – more like the one of worry of what could have happened to him if luck hadn't showed up. They were disappointed in him for thinking wrongly – very wrongly. And he could even say he was too. ''I promise I'll fix this. You guys don't have to get involved.''

''Are you kidding?'' said Fishlegs, jumping in Hiccup's eyesight. ''We're a team. Whatever you're going to do, we'll follow you.''

''Well, until our hands are raw and our backs are almost breaking.'' added Ruffnut, her brother nodding in agreement next to her. She reached her fist up to her chin, looking down. ''Where did I hear that from again?''

''Do you even have a plan, genius?'' demanded Snotlout from across the room, his arms crossed over his chest.

''Well... no.'' said Hiccup dropping lower than he already was. ''But I do have an idea.''

''Tell me, is it 'use us as a distraction while you get to Astrid and Stormfly'?'' demanded Snotlout once again.

''Uh... maybe.''

''Urgh.'' grunted Snotlout. ''You're too predictable, Hiccup! We're gonna fly over their island and them BOOM! They're already on us. You know why? 'Cause you're always using the same plan structures!''

''You have a better idea..?'' asked Hiccup, showing his poker-face.

''Actually, I do.'' he said back, his hands on his hips, smiling proudly.

''Oh, and what would that be?'' wondered Fishlegs, unamused.

''Use something way simpler than Viggo might expect.'' pointed Snotlout. ''I bet Viggo and Ryker will expect us coming from the sky, because he knows that you're a second-thinker.''

''A what?'' questioned Hiccup, raising an eye-brow.

''Second-thinker. Someone who rethinks of his plans and ends up mixing them and end up what Viggo expects. Having second thoughts, you know?'' said Snotlout, explaining it all very proudly.

''Unless Viggo knows, that Hiccup has second thoughts and knows that he goes for those, but Hiccup doesn't know that.'' said Tuffnut, jumping in.

''But, Hiccup is also smart enough to know that Viggo knows he's a second-thinker. So where does that leaves us hanging?'' said Ruffnut, following her brother.

''No no no, Viggo knows that Hiccup knows that Viggo knows that he's a second-thinker. It's all very confusing... I know that _I_ for one, am... confused.'' said Tuffnut, his brows furrowed as he stared down thinking.

Ruffnut looked back up at them, shrugging.

Hiccup turned on his heels, looking down as he thought, his fist up to his chin. ''You know what... Let's give it some thinking. Perhaps then we might finally end up with a good plan.''

''No no no, no time for thinking! We need action, now.'' interrupted Snotlout furiously. ''You're unbelievable! Hiccup! It's Astrid out there. You gotta do something!''

''I am, Snotlout. But I...'' said Hiccup, hesitating for a moment.

''But what?'' demanded Snotlout in a hurry. What had happened to him to get all so messed up?

''I... I'm lost.''

...

It wasn't easy getting some rest when you knew one of your teammates was out there, under the enemy's talons. That meeting in the Clubhouse had ended the same way it began – in disappointment. Tuffnut had backed off in fright at Hiccup's three last words. He was even beginning to think they might one day turn their backs on him if he kept going down that road. He didn't want to lose more than he already had.

Hiccup's fingers kept twitching and his body jerking in his sleep as he dreamed – bad dreamed. Nightmares of possibilities of what might be happening right now without him knowing appeared in his mind. He was trying to crawl out of there, but it seemed like it was holding tight on him.

Toothless lifted up his head a couple times as he was woken up by words from his rider. He wondered if he should wake him up or not. But Hiccup would fall silent after a couple seconds and the dragon would set his heavy head back down against the cool stone bed he lied on. And then it would start again.

At one point, Hiccup jerked up into a sitting position, crying out loud like he'd fallen from the moon down on Earth, eyes opened wide, his forehead covered of sweat. He looked around him, finding himself in his room. His breath was uneven, but as soon as his eyes met Toothless', staring at him with bright green eyes, he sighed in relief and relaxed his tensed up muscles.

''Sorry, bud...'' apologized Hiccup and Toothless yawned at him, settling himself back down to get some more sleep.

Hiccup didn't go back to sleep just yet. From his window, the moonlit his floor as he walked over it, leaning his arms on its frame, staring up to the sky full of shimmering stars. His heart wandered through the skies that night... to Astrid. And he wondered if she missed him, as much as he missed her. Even after all those fights they had.

...

Day had come, and as the riders walked their way to the Clubhouse to meet like usual, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut froze on the spot, staring up at their leader already there, good and ready, the exact opposite of the previous night.

''Good morning, gang.'' saluted Hiccup as he slid his fingers on an axe blade resting in his hand.

The other riders looked up at him with round eyes, and Fishlegs was the first to make a move, starting by clearing his throat.

''I know what you're gonna say,'' said Hiccup before he could speak a word. ''Yes, I'm out of my mind. But we've got a missing rider. And we Dragon Riders do _not_ leave a soldier behind. We are a team. We train together, fly together, and I could even say we'll die together.''

''Oh, thank Thor.'' said Tuffnut, sighing in relief, giving his sister a look. ''Thought I was gonna die alone...''

''I thought a lot of yesterday. And Snotlout,'' said Hiccup, gesturing to his cousin. ''You're right. There's no time for thinking. We need a plan and fast. I don't care what.''

''You know this could get us all killed, right?'' pointed out Fishlegs, only to receive a harsh look from the three other riders by his side. ''Or... We could just go with any good-sounding plan.''

''Well... I hope this will be.'' said Hiccup as he spread a map on the table in the center of the Clubhouse. He jabbed his index on an area from the drawn Dragon Hunter Island, which appeared to be a light forest. ''We'll enter these woods with no dragons—''

''No dragons!? Are you crazy!?'' shrieked Snotlout, throwing his arms in the air.

''If we want to be sneaky, yes.'' replied Hiccup seriously before continuing. ''This area was lightly guarded last time we were there. It's were all the caged dragons were kept. Hopefully Stormfly will be amongst them.''

''And what about Astrid?'' asked Ruffnut looking up and then to Hiccup, making gestures with her hands.

''Hopefully, if we do find Stormfly first, she'll have been awake for the trip there to know where Astrid was taken.'' said Hiccup, rising his gaze to the other riders for their opinion.

''It's not a good plan but...'' said Snotlout, looking down at the map, shaking his head sideways. ''It'll have to work, 'cause I can't think of anything else.''

''Plus, I thought of your words from last night, Snotlout, and I think you're right.'' said Hiccup, receiving a rare look from his cousin. ''I am a second-thinker. And what I thought first, was get Stormfly, 'cause she'll be less guarded for—''

''—Viggo knows that you're second-thinker and you would think that striking for the dragon cages would be what Viggo thinks you'd think.'' cut Ruffnut, finishing for him.

''But, since you second-think, you go for Astrid, but then – Surprise! You were trapped by a trapper.'' added Tuffnut after his sister. ''Nice thinking, H.''

''That's a way to put it...'' said Hiccup, taking the map and stocking it into his satchel he then put to Toothless' saddle. He turned to the others as they stayed unmoving. ''Well, what are you waiting for? Mount up, Dragon Riders!''


	6. Chapter 6

Four dragons soared through the bright blue sky on the way to the enemy's base – Night Fury at the lead. Getting there wouldn't take just a couple hours, but almost the entire day. Meaning chances were they'd arrive on the Hunters' island probably at nightfall – which is a good thing. Better under the cover of darkness than in bright day light, if you ask them.

Road so far had been kind of quiet, but some still had questions about the 'plan'.

''Hey, I have an important question.'' said Tuffnut all suddenly, raising his index like he usually did.

Hiccup sighed, looking back at him. ''Is it actually important this time..?'' he asked.

''Uh, yeah, it always is,'' replied Tuffnut like it was obvious. ''I mean, why would Viggo want Astrid if _you're_ the leader? Like, I don't get it...''

Hiccup looked down at the ocean below, remembering his last encounter with the Grimborns. ''It must be some trap to lure us in or something.'' he said.

''Oh!'' exclaimed Snotlout at the back. ''So why are we doing this?''

''May I remind you, Snotlout, that _you're_ the one who pushed Hiccup to act?'' said Fishlegs, close to the Monstrous Nightmare rider.

''Shut up, Fishface...'' mumbled Snotlout under his breath, tightening his grip at his dragon's horns.

''Yeah, well, if Viggo's the _mysterious person_ who sneaked in at night,'' said Ruffnut to Hiccup. ''Why didn't he just strike you when he was at your door?''

'''Cause it's not his style!'' said Fishlegs, as if it had been the hundredth time he'd said it already. ''Viggo likes to _outthink_ his opponents.''

''Fishlegs' right.'' said Hiccup, looking back at them all. ''If it's to lure us in, it means only one thing.''

''And... what would that be..?'' wondered Snotlout. ''A trade?''

The group fell silent, looking at each other worriedly, shooting looks at their leader, knowing what all this could mean.

It's only after that cloud of quietness that Snotlout finally understood he was right. ''Really?'' he asked, startled.

''Well, Viggo knows I, uh...'' said Hiccup, trailing off. He was about to say the man knew Astrid was one of his greatest weaknesses, but he went with something else instead, which sounded as correct. ''He knows, us, Dragon Riders, would never leave a rider behind. And if he'll want to trade Astrid for someone, it'll be me.''

''Alright, so if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, I think your thinking is the worst thinking ever!'' said Snotlout, leaning forward on his dragon's horns.

''Hiccup, just don't get any ideas, alright?'' said Fishlegs as Hiccup turned his head back to look at the front. ''We have no idea what Viggo wants.''

''Exactly, Fishlegs!'' said Hiccup, twisting his body back to face him. ''We don't know! Viggo's always one step ahead of us. We're falling behind. So we gotta be ready for anything. Even if it means a trade...''

''Wait, you're not actually thinking of doing this, are you?'' demanded Snotlout, starting to panic. Were they really going to rescue a teammate only to lose one after that? Things felt imbalanced.

Hiccup didn't answer. He just returned his attention on the horizon forward, expecting an island to come in sight at any moment. It was Astrid out there. And it was his fault. Whatever was the prize to pay - he'd be honored to pay it.

...

The bright sky was slowly turning dark above their dragons' wings, the first stars appearing against the dark blue. As they drifted through the chilling air, land finally came in sight, unmistakably, Dragon Hunter Island.

''Alright, gang.'' said Hiccup, looking back at his team. ''We land on the beach, not the far side of the island - they'll be expecting us there. Be on high alert when we land, we have no idea what's awaiting us down there.''

''No kidding...'' said Snotlout in return as they soared low above the water.

Their dragons' feet hit the sand quietly, staying low in case any Hunters happened to be lurking around here after all.

''You stay here with the other dragons, bud. If you see anything, you know what to do.'' said Hiccup to his dragon, resting his hand on his head. Toothless looked up at his rider after he dismounted and grabbed his shield. With a gesture of a hand, the Night Fury walked away towards the many dragon-cages, followed by the other dragons. They stayed low and hid amongst the other dragons who roared in fury and pain.

''Alright,'' continued Hiccup, turning to the other riders. ''Let's hopefully find Stormfly and with luck find Astrid.''

They all nodded and started walking amongst the caged dragons in the light forest, searching for a sky-blue Nadder wearing a saddle. It was easier said than done, though...

They stayed together as they scanned the dragons, with no found so far.

Hiccup walked at the back as they wandered in a line, their eyes landing on every dragon kept in those dreadful cages. If they could, they'd free all the dragons here – but they couldn't. This would only give them away as they would create a great cloud of escaping dragons rising to the sky. Hunters would immediately be on their tails, that's for sure, and Viggo could decide to just kill Astrid for that.

It was very quiet, if you ignored the dragon roars all around. Maybe even a little too much. A feeling suddenly shot through Hiccup as he was walking at the tail of the line. He stopped mid-track, staring at the empty, listening for anything that might tell them they were in danger. (Even though being on the enemy's island was already a great danger.)

He twisted his body around as the group didn't stop for him for they hadn't noticed, and looked at his surroundings, eyes sharp and ears wide opened.

As he didn't get anything, he turned back around and continued walking forward, telling himself he was paranoid. As he shook his head at himself, shutting his eyes, a hand came covering his mouth from behind, and he was dragged backwards, unable to make a sound, unable to call for his friends.

He felt his back collide against a thick tree, out of eyesight from the other riders walking away. As Hiccup dared to crack his eye opened, he found himself face to face with Ryker, pushing him against the tree with only the hand covering his mouth and a sharp dagger at his throat.

He didn't struggle to get free, because if he did, it could mean death before he even found Astrid. Hiccup could tell he was alone. If he had backup, the other riders would be surrounded by now. But they weren't.

''Nice from you to show up,'' growled Ryker, showing a smile as he removed his hand over the boy's mouth.

Hiccup gasped as soon as he could breathe properly, looking up at the man, hate showing in his eyes.

''Where's Astrid?'' demanded Hiccup immediately, caring very little of the way he spoke for his position. ''Where is she?''

''I'm afraid I'm not giving this information.'' said Ryker as he pushed him harshly in the back for him to move out.

There was no more to be added. And he had no idea where he was taken, only knowing he was in trouble, like usual. But a piercing roar rose in the air, and it could belong to no other dragon than a Night Fury.

The jet-black dragon landed heavily behind Ryker and Hiccup, teeth bared and eyes narrowed as it showed its anger towards the Hunter for landing hands on his rider.

Ryker growled in return, unsheathing his dragon-proof sword from his back. Hiccup expected him to attack Toothless with no asked questions, but all happened was another blade placed at his neck as he was forced down to his knees – the execution position.

Toothless growled deeply, holding his ground firmly, his tail lashing furiously as he was thinking of his next move. Usually, just this would get the enemies running away in fear, but Ryker was different. And that was bad.

''Your choice, dragon,'' said Ryker as he slid the blade on Hiccup's neck, showing he would dare.

''Toothless,'' warned Hiccup to his dragon as to strike anyway.

With a roar of fury, the black dragon bounced from the ground and to the man. But as he did, Ryker lifted up the sword and brought it down to Hiccup's side neck. It came down, but before it touched him, the Night Fury's front claws were already gripping at Ryker's arm holding the weapon, but damage wasn't avoided as the last tooth of the sword hit Hiccup's side head for the sword had gone higher, and left a nasty, deep bleeding gash.

Toothless landed on top of the man, growling and preparing a plasma blast down his throat while Ryker gripped the dragon's front legs.

Hiccup felt dizzy from the cut, but he was able to register the events.

''No.'' he called, but not loud enough for Toothless to hear as they had both rolled farther, ending up with the Night Fury pinning down the Hunter to the ground. ''No!''

Toothless swallowed back his fireball, and looked back at his rider, whining in confusion, his eyes shifting from wild to soft. He noticed him looking up in fear, and instantly understood he couldn't kill the man - shouldn't. It was just the way it was.

Toothless looked back down at the Hunter, his eyes turning wild once again, digging in his as the man did the same. And with a snarl, the dragon banged his forehead with his, and Ryker was immediately knocked out.


	7. Chapter 7

Hiccup leaned on Toothless as the dragon helped him up. That nasty cut at his head had made him dizzy for a while. But things were now starting to clear up. And he was glad – he had work to do.

Toothless whined at his rider as he reached up the cut and winced at the pain. Seemed as long as he didn't touch it, it would be okay.

''Thanks, bud,'' said Hiccup as he got to his feet completely. His eyes scanned his surroundings, trying to find out where he'd ended up, but things didn't look familiar at all. He knew his friends might be long gone – very busy searching for Stormfly.

Roars reached his ears, but not coming from where he thought he could have arrived, but at the other side of a slight hill covered of trees and bushes. This could mean only one thing. More dragons on the other side. Perhaps Stormfly was there.

This wasn't a section of the island he was sure to be safe right now, but if it meant chances of finding Stormfly – or more, Astrid –

Hiccup didn't wait another second and rushed up to the hill, Toothless following him closely from behind, wondering what he was doing exactly. They passed the unconscious man, and just for pleasure, Toothless stepped heavily on top of him, a dragon-laughter escaping from his mouth as he did.

Hiccup climbed up the hill, gripping the earth as he did, grunting at the effort. And once he was at the top...

More caged dragons, the number even higher than the other side.

There was no time for thinking – scanning the area for any enemy soldiers. Toothless called at him in concern as he slid down the hill, down to the center of the roars of wild dragons.

He landed clumsily with the Night Fury landing behind, watching over him in case anything unexpected happened.

They walked amongst the loud noises for some time, eyes landing on every cage. It was making him sick seeing all those innocent dragons caged up and on their way to death, but Hiccup tried to hide the disgust and carry on with the mission.

They turned a corner, and dark eyes landed on him and Toothless.

''Well that was easy.'' said Viggo Grimborn, and Hiccup instantly turned on his heels and came face to face with the man holding a dagger... under Astrid's chin threateningly. Hiccup's confidence vanished totally, his eyes turning round as they landed on her. And all did Viggo was show a grim smile. ''Come on, Hiccup, you know the drill. Give me what I want and I let her go.''

''Hiccup, please don't...'' begged Astrid, even with the blade pushing in harder. Hiccup could see for one of the rare times that she was frightened. And it was almost unbearable to see her that way.

''It's gonna be okay, Astrid. You're gonna be okay—''said Hiccup, trying to reassure her that it'll be alright in the end – but deep down he knew it wouldn't be. Not where he was standing right now.

''No she's not!'' said Viggo, already speaking before he finished. ''She's gonna be ground up into chunks and fed to the dragons.''

Hiccup started feeling his fists shaking at the last phrase, but not from fear, but anger. He bit his lips, looking away as he tried containing himself.

''Unless you give me your Night Fury...'' finished Viggo, holding the dagger's handle tightly. ''Oh, and your friends, they're not coming to your rescue. So what is it going to be?''

There was a paused where Hiccup gritted his teeth, his hands balled into fists, unable to answer a thing. He had thought that if there was something Viggo might want for Astrid was him, but it was Toothless all along. And when he rethought of Outcast Island, he remembered correctly that the Grimborns were after him only for Toothless. How had he been so blind? All Viggo questioned on was mostly about Toothless. It obviously was the dragon he wanted, not the rider.

''So what's your answer?'' demanded Viggo as his eyes were locked on the boy. ''Choose wisely.''

For the first time, Hiccup felt his heart breaking for two beings. Lose a friend in order to save another? He couldn't imagine a world without Astrid in it. He needed her here, with him. And for her position right now, he couldn't come up with a better plan than hand over Toothless.

''Toothless,'' said Hiccup, and his buddy – holding his ground and growling lowly in warning – lifted his head up, looking up at him in confusion. ''I'll be back for you.''

''No!'' cried Astrid as she struggled to get free. She wouldn't bare Hiccup without Toothless. He needed his buddy as much as Toothless needed him.

''It won't take long,'' said Hiccup to Toothless, placing both hands on his dragon's head as he spoke to him, receiving replies of whines. A wild dragon would have fled instead of letting himself get handed like an object, but Toothless was smart enough to know that Astrid's life depended on him and his rider. And if this made her saving...

A cage lied wide opened behind Viggo Hiccup hadn't noticed until now, and Toothless slowly walked inside it, staying low, growling at the man holding back his rider's friend as he passed. Viggo looked back down at him, his gaze as dark as his.

''I promise...'' said Hiccup to his buddy as the cage-door was shut close.

Astrid was pushed harshly to Hiccup, and crashed against his chest, where she embraced him tightly. It was surprising at first, but then he wrapped his arms around her in return, embracing her back.

Men appeared around them, and as if this whole this had been planned from start to finish, they began carrying away the caged Night Fury, others pointing their weapons at Hiccup and Astrid. Viggo turned his back on them, smiling, and Hiccup could swear he'd heard a laugh from the head of the Dragon Hunters.

Hiccup made a move to go after him, but Astrid was quick enough to hold him back as she noticed his balled fists and expression showing all across his face.

''No, don't.'' said Astrid as she held his arm. ''It's no use...''

Hiccup shifted his eyes to her, showing worry, and returned his gaze back to his dragon being taken away from him. He just hoped he'll be able to keep that promise he'd made him...

...

''Hiccup? Hiccup!'' called Snotlout, hands cupping his mouth as he called out his cousin's name.

''Snotlout!'' whispered Fishlegs harshly back at him. ''Keep it down, or we might as well end up—''

''Ha-ha! There he is!'' said Snotlout as if he hadn't heard a word from Fishlegs at all. ''See? Told you he was okay.''

''Sure. That's why you've been yelling out his name for the past hour.'' said Tuffnut.

''It's only been ten minutes.'' reminded Ruffnut to her brother.

''Tomato-tomata.'' he replied simply, shrugging and putting his hands up to his hips.

Hiccup walked over to them, Astrid behind him. Everyone could tell he wasn't relieved or exited. But they couldn't come to care as their eyes landed on Astrid.

''Astrid! You okay?'' asked Fishlegs, walking to her, followed by the others.

''Yeah, I'm fine...'' she replied, trying to force a smile. She landed her eyes on her leader, who walked away when the group came to them. He stayed low as he got farther, looking down at the ground.

''Hiccup? Are _you_ okay?'' asked Fishlegs with concern.

He turned around like he'd been asked the strangest question. It didn't take long for him to realize he had to give his friends an explanation.

''I... I trade...'' he said quietly. ''I trade Toothless.''

''You what!?'' shrieked Snotlout, gripping at his hair in panic. ''Now it isn't fun to say we haven't a Night Fury on our side anymore!''

''Viggo was going to kill Astrid, and...'' continued Hiccup, ignoring Snotlout. ''I...''

''Don't worry, H.'' said Tuffnut, banging his balled fist in his open palm. ''We'll find a missing Toothless Night Fury - I will make sure of it!''

Astrid looked back at him, unamused and sighed.

''Did you guys find Stormfly?'' asked Hiccup, even though he didn't feel for any other good news than knowing Toothless was safe.

A Nadder squawk answered his question and the sky-blue dragon appeared behind Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins, meeting once again with her rider, who couldn't have been happier to see her as well.

But all this made was making him feel sicker at his decision made. He wished Toothless was with him as well, right here, right now.


	8. Chapter 8

The riders stared down at Hiccup as their leader froze before mounting on Stormfly with Astrid. They didn't know what to say – it's not every day he lost Toothless. But they had to get off this island before it was too late. Viggo may be kind to let them go, but this chance wouldn't last forever.

As Hiccup put his hands up to help himself on the Nadder, he froze again, and looked down, knowing this was wrong.

''Wait.'' said Hiccup, as the other riders directed their dragons to take off. ''We can't do this.''

''Uh, sure we can.'' said Tuffnut. ''We have _dragons?_ '' He imitated beating wings with his arms as he spoke.

''No, what I mean, is,'' said Hiccup, lifting up his chin and backing off Stormfly. ''it's Toothless out there. He's part of the team, as much as every dragon and rider. We do this, we aren't Dragon Riders. Nobody should get left behind this way...''

''Hiccup,'' said Astrid, trying to speak some sense into him. ''Viggo might know you won't leave until you got Toothless back. It's better if we come back with a good plan.''

''But he might not.'' said Hiccup firmly. ''You see? This is exactly what he does. He confuses us, and then we play right into his hands. I think it's time for him to play right into ours.''

''As far as _I'm_ crazy,'' said Tuffnut, gesturing himself majestically. ''Hiccup, you, are by far, the craziest.''

Hiccup sent him a glare and growled, hands balled into fists.

''Guys!'' called Astrid as Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins turned their backs. ''Hiccup's right.''

Astrid looked back at Hiccup, and noticed him go from irritated to confused and relieved at the same time as he looked up at her.

''As Dragon Riders, we help each other. It doesn't matter who it is, we just do it. Like he said, nobody deserves being left behind this way. Especially not Toothless. Not after all he's done for us.'' said Astrid.

''Yeah... I rest my case.'' called Snotlout over him shoulder carelessly.

Astrid growled, balling her fists and returned to them quickly before they went. ''What if it was your dragons?'' she asked.

The three dragons walking away stopped mid-track, their riders looking back at each other as they all knew Astrid was right - as usual...

...

''I hate you.'' said Snotlout, jabbing his index at Astrid as he stood amongst the twins and Fishlegs, facing Hiccup and Astrid. ''Now let's just get Toothless back and get out of here.''

''Thanks, guys.'' said Hiccup gratitude. ''I really appreciate it. Now let's find Toothless before he's taken to Thor-knows-where.''

'' _Okay,_ but, what's the plan?'' asked Tuffnut, raising an eyebrow.

''Well, I was hoping—'' said Hiccup, only to get cut off by Snotlout before he could even finish.

''Let me guess! Use us as a distraction while _you_ get to Toothless and free him? Yeah, I totally agree with that...'' he said, sarcasm included.

''Oh, well I'm glad you're in, 'cause that's the plan.'' said Hiccup, a smile growing in the corner of his mouth.

''Please tell me you have a plan B...'' said Astrid, jumping in, her arms crossed over her chest as she rolled her eyes.

''Well... no.'' said Hiccup.

''Oh, another suicide run! I love those.'' said Snotlout, throwing his arms in the air at his answer to Astrid.

''Look, this is our best shot. Now or never.'' said Hiccup seriously. ''We go in and try, or we walk away with never trying. Your call.''

The riders shared looks as breaths were held up, but in the end, the exact opposite of what Hiccup expect happened as they all nodded in agreement to follow him.

...

A heavy dragon-proof cage lied on a thick wooden platform, rolled on four wheels. The Night Fury locked inside growled lowly at the men surrounding him, his green eyes wilder than ever.

Higher, on a hill, heads popped out, dragon and human, staring down at the Hunters and caged Night Fury.

Hiccup grabbed his spyglass and brought it up to his eye, looking down at the crew, searching for someone who wasn't there. ''Well, looks like Viggo took off for other important business,'' he said as he brought the object down to face the others. ''This is our chance. Snotlout,''

''Yes, yes, I know, distract the Hunters from the back while you get the cage and free Toothless. You've said it like ten times already.'' said Snotlout, disliking his role in this rescue mission.

''Good,'' he replied and brought the spyglass back up to his eye to take another look. ''There's about eight or ten soldiers. Think you can handle that?''

''Can I handle that? Ha! Hiccup, I'm offended.'' said Snotlout, placing a hand to his chest. ''Can I handle that... Pff.''

''Astrid,'' said Hiccup, turning to face her behind him. ''Know your role?''

As an answer, Astrid punched her fist into her open palm, smiling almost darkly. She gave a look at the twins and Fishlegs behind her who nodded.

''Alright,'' continued Hiccup as he returned to the Hunters below. ''Let's go.''

...

Hookfang broke through the trees, making as much sound as he could with his rider to attract the Hunters' attention to them. The Monstrous Nightmare roared at them as they turned around, wearing surprised expression all over their faces. But Snotlout's smug face vanished pretty quickly as the men below already got their dragon root arrows ready to be fired up at them.

''Retreat!'' yelled Snotlout as he pulled on Hookfang's horns to go up.

But this distraction hadn't been long enough for Hiccup... With only a move of the hand, he unlocked the door, and indicated Toothless to be quiet by placing a finger up to his lips. The Night Fury whined quietly in reply he understood, and walked out the cage and down the platform to finally step onto the ground.

But as Hiccup was about to hop on the saddle, Snotlout and Hookfang were gone, and the Dragon Hunters were already turning around to face them.

''Hey!'' one called instantly as his eyes landed on Hiccup and the freed dragon. They all prepared their arrows, aiming for both dragon and rider.

''Split, Toothless!'' shouted Hiccup to his buddy, gesturing to run away now. Toothless obeyed with no question asked, and took off to the left while Hiccup took off to the right.

As he disappeared into the trees, Hiccup didn't realize where he was going exactly as this wasn't included in his plan... He quickly rethought of Astrid's words. '' _Please tell me you have a plan B...''_

A roar reached him, and it stopped him instantly mid-track. He looked back as a horrible thought came to him of Toothless getting caught.

''Toothless!?'' he called to his dragon, but there was no reply.

''There he is!'' he heard a voice call, and next thing he knew was arrows were hitting nearby trees, sending a clear message – he had to move, now.

Hiccup turned around faster than he had ever done, and made a run to the highest level of the island, with no particular reason, only for the fact that he hadn't much of a choice right now.

He felt his lungs burning and his legs weakening as he climbed up the cutting rocks he grabbed to make it up to the top of the island. Dragon Hunter Island may not be very big, but it was actually tricky.

Hiccup looked down and realized he better get going – no time for a break. Men with their weapons were right behind him, right on his fresh footsteps. He just hoped there weren't any Dragon Hunters up there and could think of a plan quickly before they all reached him. If that ever happened, he could say ''Goodbye, world. Hello, Valhalla.''

He ran and climbed up the hill leading up there, grunting at the effort, shutting his eyes close and gritting his teeth, his hair dangling before his eyes as he opened them up again and looked up at the top, breathing heavily. He continued, without looking back at the Hunters, closer than he thought they were. And finally, he made it to the very top of the island, which wasn't extremely high - not as high as on Dragon's Edge - but still, he could see the ocean and defenses from up here.

As he took a break and tried slowing down his heavy breathing - the wind blowing in his hair - eyes from the back landed on his form, and weapons were immediately aimed at him before he could even realize he was stuck between a deadly slide down to a lower level and well-armed-to-the-teeth Dragon Hunters.

Hiccup twisted his boy around at the sound of grunting from the men only some feet away from him. Acting off instinct, he grabbed his Gronckle Iron shield from his back, and placed it before him to protect himself from any arrows or sword swings, whatsoever.

The men laughed in an amused way as they noticed Hiccup's strong hold on faith, even when he was stuck between two sorts of deaths.

Hiccup back off slowly as they took steps forward, looking back over his shoulder to see how far he was before falling off the cliffy side of the high hill.

''You might as well give up now,'' said one of the soldiers, and he swung his sword a little too close to Hiccup's face. As he tried to avoid the blow, he misbalanced himself and fell down, only for his hand to grab the ledge where he was standing a second ago.

Dangling from the ledge, Hiccup looked down at the deadly slide down. He looked back up, relying on only one hand as the other was still holding to the shield. For some reason, he couldn't let it go. A face appeared from above, a smug smile showing all across it.

With round, terrified eyes, Hiccup watch him raise his sword above his head, and bring it down-

Hiccup's hand slipped.


	9. Chapter 9

Down he plunged, clawing the air as if it would slow down his fall, looking up. The rocky slide down to a lower level wasn't that far down, but it still felt like an eternity before he'd hit.

Hiccup collapsed on the almost wall-like slide, his shield hitting first –separating him and the surface. That's when a shield came in handy. Hiccup removed his arm from the handle of his shield, sitting on the back of the item, holding his head as it pounded hard from the crash. His arm ached as it slowed down the impact, and for a minute he was almost sure he'd broke it. But all that pain vanished as he heard a crack under his shield, and he knew what was coming next as he looked down at the rest of the slide.

''Oh no... Whoa!'' he said, and next thing he knew, the rocks under him slipped, and his shield followed, him on the top, holding on for dear life.

His hands held tight to the metallic side of the shield as it acted like a sleigh on snow. His shouts echoed around, loud enough to reach the ears of a certain dragon.

A rockslide followed behind him, and now that he thought about it, Hiccup was actually glad to be going fast. Sparks were created under the Gronckle Iron shield as it rubbed on the sharp rocks underneath. Going up and down, knocking into several large boulders in the way, landing painfully back on the rough surface – Hiccup wasn't enjoying the trip, to say.

Unexpectedly, Hiccup's shield suddenly stuck in a crack between two cutting large rocks in the way, sending him farther down, landing on deformed, hard, black and dark grey rocks painfully.

With difficulty, Hiccup managed to push himself up with the slight strength left in him, and opened up his eyes to look up where his shield was still stuck. It was blurry and dark spots were dancing in his vision, but he was still able to catch behind the bright grey of his shield, the movement of the rockslide closing on him.

His eyes went wide, and he pushed himself to his feet, taking steps upwards towards the shield – the only protection he could use against those incoming rocks.

He climbed up the distance between him and the only object able to save him, grunting painfully at the pain from his arms, legs, and everywhere he'd gotten hit during the slide down.

The noise was getting louder, and he could feel the slight vibrations under his feet. He stretched out an arm up to his shield, taking hold of its frame and pulled on it until it came out of the crack it was stuck in.

''Come on, come on...'' he said, pulling harder as he saw the rocks and dust coming. Shutting his eyes, and yanking on it hard, it finally came ou. Hiccup placed it before him and the rocks hit.

The impact of the mighty boulders against the shield forced Hiccup backwards while he pushed with all his might against the wooden back of the shield. It was almost impossible to survive a rockslide such as this one, but somehow, Hiccup was, even though he was at the top of his limits.

The noises around him were loud, louder than the loudest of thunders, and as he cracked an eye open, he could see the rocks around him rumbling down to the edge, and falling down to their final destination past the ledge at the lower level.

It felt like forever, but the storm finally ran out of rain, and most of the rocks finally fell unmoving, only a couple small ones still rolling down, hitting others under.

Hiccup coughed and looked around, removing his shield as he pushed himself up to his feet one again. A heavy cloud of brownish-grey dust floated around, making it impossible for Hiccup to even see ten feet before him. He waved a hand before his mouth as he inhaled dust a couple times, coughing now and then.

He couldn't know where he was now, as he'd been dragged a little by the rocks that pushed on his shield as they went down. He only took one step forward, and his metal leg met the empty.

''Whoa!'' shouted Hiccup as he jerked backwards before he fell Thor-knows-where. His breathing quickened as he looked down at where he almost fell, only to see absolutely nothing but dust. ''Well that's great... What am I supposed to do now?''

He couldn't see it, but he could definitely feel it – a burst of warm wind blowing at his back as if a dragon was breathing behind him. At first he ignored it, but when a roar followed, he jerked up, and twisted his body around to search for the dragon he knew that roar belonged to.

''Toothless?'' he called out of the blue, his eyes scanning the closest rocks he could see should his buddy appear all suddenly. He tried again, louder. ''Toothless!?''

And a reply followed.

The black dragon's shape appeared before his eyes, hopping from rock to rock towards him, letting out another roar.

''Toothless!'' said Hiccup, and he immediately got to his feet as he met with his dragon, who slammed into him, glad he was alright. The Night Fury cooed in his chest, rubbing his large head against him lovingly. ''It's good to see you too, bud.''

As Toothless pushed himself against his rider's arm, Hiccup suddenly winced, and the dragon backed off immediately, afraid to have hurt him.

''No, it's not you, buddy.'' said Hiccup as he gave apologizes for hurting him. ''I'm just a little bruised.''

Toothless whined at the dusty surroundings, and Hiccup looked where he was looking.

''We should probably get out of here.'' he said, and hopped on the saddle, even though everything hurt. Toothless let out a piercing sound, and his ears twitched. After adjusting his prosthetic in the right place, Toothless took off, flying up, where the sound hit nothing - which meant no obstacles.

They flew blindly for a while, but they finally broke through the thick cloud of dust, and into the bright night, the dark sky full of shimmering stars.

Toothless circled the results of the rockslide from high above, and they could now see that the cloud covered almost half the island. And guess who started it. Words from his father suddenly spoke in his mind when he wasn't a hero. _''Every time you step outside, disaster follows.''_

Yep. Now he could see it.

But something else suddenly caught his eyes, and as he looked down at the light forest below, he could see someone – someone he was about to deal with.

''Come on, Toothless.'' said Hiccup, patting his dragon's head. ''Let's have a word with Viggo.''

Toothless' eyes narrowed on the Hunter he could as well see down there, and plunged downwards, soaring above the trees for a while before landing in a clearing.

Hiccup dismounted, and looked around. This is where he'd seen Viggo from above. But everything was quiet and it was like nobody's ever been here, and he'd just imagined it all. ''Where did he go?'' he questioned, his eyes scanning his surroundings.

Hiccup took cautious steps, only now realising he was limping.

''I'm right here, my boy,'' said Viggo's voice, and Hiccup's muscles all tensed up as he twisted his body around to face the enemy, who surprisingly wasn't there. ''I have to say, you've impressed me.''

''Glad to hear it,'' said Hiccup, his eyes following the voice speaking in the darkness surrounding him. He couldn't see Viggo, and that bothered him not just a little. It's hard to fight what you can't see.

''You and your little group could've escaped, back home, safely,'' said Viggo, and Hiccup already knew what he was about to say next, which caused a twist in his stomach. ''But now isn't the case anymore.''

''What is it you want, Viggo!'' cried out Hiccup to the darkness, where he assumed Viggo was. This man was taking the best of him, and he couldn't bare it anymore. What exactly was it he wanted? Clearly he wasn't going through all this trouble just to slaughter a dragon, was he? ''Are you afraid?''

As a reply, a dagger was thrown at him from the back, cutting at his shoulder and impaling itself in a tree.

''Argh!'' shouted Hiccup as he grabbed his shoulder, finding a cut in the cloth to the skin.

Hiccup looked back, and Viggo appeared in the moonlit clearing, his sword in hand, his dark eyes staying unmoving on him as Hiccup forced himself up, bringing his shield in front of him.

''Let's jump in another sort of game.'' said Viggo, and began walking to Hiccup, carrying his massive sword with him.

Unable to do much due to the lack of strength, Hiccup was suddenly pressed between a tree behind him and his shield Viggo was pushing on. Not only was he incredibly weak right now, but Viggo also had a higher physical strength, making very unfair.

Toothless didn't wait for any command, and threw himself at the man, grabbing one of his arms between his jaws and yanking him backwards. Viggo looked back at the dragon, and yanked his arm out of the dragon's mouth, hitting the Night Fury on the nose – one of the dragons' most sensible parts. Toothless jerked backwards, whining at the pain.

Hiccup cried out as his aching arm was stuck between him and the shield, gripping at the handle - the frame of the shield pressed against his neck. Crushed between two things, air had difficulty to get in his lungs, and when his vision wet blurry, Viggo backed off, yanking his shield and throwing it away – out of Hiccup's reach.

The man held his sword down at him, the pointy end a little too close to him. Hiccup bared his teeth, looking up at him with his hair dangling before his eyes, brows furrowed.

Unexpected to Viggo, Hiccup threw himself on him, clawing and punching as best as he could.

Toothless growled lowly, his eyes wild on both of them, but still, there was nothing he could do - that hit to the nose had almost knocked him out.

Viggo grabbed Hiccup's back hair and threw him away roughly. He landed on his side, hitting a tree hardly, bruising his lower back. Viggo approached, breathing as heavily as the boy. Once close enough to Hiccup, the rider kicked the man in the guts with his metal leg – which was even more painful that a normal kick – sending him backwards to his knees.

Hiccup looked at the man, as he himself lied on the forest floor, and pushed himself up, even when everything hurt. He took the steps needed to reach Viggo, and lifted from the ground the man's weapon, at his turn, pointing it down at him.

Viggo raised his glare at him, a grim smile showing on his lips. ''Hiccup,'' he said, and Hiccup was almost sure he was about to say his last words, but in the contrary – he threw another knife at him, this time to the face.

Hiccup jerked backwards when the blade met his skin, and collapsed on the ground, back first. He clawed his face, a gash crossed from the middle of his left cheek up to above his left eyebrow.

''Maces and Talons was designed to test the abilities and decision making expertises of future chiefs in the heat of battle.'' continued Viggo as he picked himself up, dusting himself off. ''And if you hadn't realized it just yet, you've failed.''

Hiccup slowly lifted his glare up at him until he met his eyes, gritting his teeth furiously.

''Though, the game ain't over, until the Viking King dies.'' said Viggo smugly. Viggo grabbed his sword Hiccup had held a minute ago, and placed the blade to the side of Hiccup's neck.


	10. Chapter 10

An object passed his ear, and next thing Viggo knew, was a battle-ax blade plunging in the nearest tree. The man turned around, only to come face to face with the girl he'd captured and traded, Astrid. With a war-cry, she grabbed two daggers from her belt and charged over to Viggo, but she was stopped when the Hunter smiled and pressed the sword's blade closer to Hiccup's neck. She froze on the spot, knowing any move would just kill Hiccup. But the boy standing on his knees with a weapon threatening him didn't think this was it. Hiccup body-slammed Viggo as he wasn't looking at him, knocking the sword out of his hand.

''Hold him there, Astrid,'' said Hiccup, and he rushed to his dragon. Toothless whined and finally got to his feet, though still dizzy from the punch. He looked up at his rider who helped him to his feet, eyes filled black as he wasn't himself so much.

''It's all over now,'' said Astrid, as she stood with both knives in hands, ready for battle.

But Viggo saw something none of them saw yet, and he could only grin as he looked pass Hiccup ad Toothless. ''Or is it?'' he said, and Astrid glared at him.

A movement caught Astrid's eye, and she twisted her body around to face Hiccup. ''Hiccup, look out!'' she called, and Hiccup turned around, only to have a hunter jumping on top of him, pinning him solidly to the ground.

Hiccup grunted under to weight of the man, a massive hand crushing his head to the ground, a knee digging in his back. Ryker looked up at his brother, and Viggo picked up his sword, minding very little about Astrid and her daggers.

''Viggo,'' said Astrid warningly, her eyes locked on him. But she didn't dare make a move.

Viggo approached, holding his sword with bad intentions. Hiccup struggled to get free, knowing what was coming next. Using all the might left in him, Hiccup forced his head out of Ryker's hand, and swung his head backwards, hitting Ryker in the face with the back of his head. Viggo didn't wait any longer, and rose the weapon above his head, only for Astrid to jump on him from behind, the two daggers at his throat. He dropped the sword, and its pointy end plunged itself into the ground, right next to Hiccup's face.

Hiccup squeezed his way out from Ryker as the man was distracted with his bleeding nose – not even noticing the boy escaping his grasp.

Viggo hit his back against a tree, crushing Astrid between him and the trunk. She yelled at the pain, and forced Viggo forward by leaning her weight forward, sending them both collapsing farther.

Astrid was quickly on her feet, and went retrieving her axe still stuck in the tree. With a whistle to call for her dragon, Stormfly landed heavily in the clearing, her tail-spines up, ready to be fired. She roared her eyes arrowed dangerously at the two hunters.

Astrid hopped on the saddle immediately, and so did Hiccup on Toothless, even if his dragon wasn't in his best shape at the moment.

''Toothless, sky!'' he commanded, and the Night Fury lifted himself off the ground, his wings beating with difficulty.

''That was a warning.'' said Astrid before shooting after Hiccup and Toothless.

When both dragons and riders where up in the sky, Ryker rose to his feet, mad. He growled, his hands balled into fists.

''No, Ryker,'' said Viggo to his brother, seriously. ''It's not worth it.''

The two brothers looked up as the enemy fled, one with the desire of their deaths and the other with a growing smile on his lips as thoughts danced in his mind. Viggo furrowed his brows, smiling as his eyes followed the Night Fury flying away, his rider holding on as they climbed high.

Hiccup and Astrid paused in the air, high enough to avoid all weaponry from the hunters below. They shared a look and noticed other dragons approaching. Toothless and Stormfly hovered closer to the other dragons and riders.

No word was said – all Hiccup did was nod, and they all knew the definition. Their work was done here. Directing their dragons south, the team flew back to Dragon's Edge – back home.

''Hiccup,'' said Astrid out of the blue as she approached Stormfly closer to Hiccup who flew at the head of the formation. ''Thanks.'' She showed a smile of gratitude. Hiccup looked at her, and against his will, he smiled back and looked away.

''No.'' he said. ''I have to thank _you._ '' He got a curious look from her, and he knew what she was asking. ''If you hadn't jumped in as Viggo went for the kill...''

''I know, I know...'' said Astrid, looking down as she knew what this meant. Hiccup would've been long gone. ''I think he's more of an animal than he says.''

They soared through the sky, the sunrise blinding them in the way - Hiccup and Astrid's thoughts playing around of possibilities if they hadn't been there for each other.


End file.
